Jos, Jos, Jos And Nigeria
By
Prince Charles Dickson
Barkin Ladin, Plateau
pcdbooks@gmail.com
I am forced to write and make my personal opinion about Jos, Plateau state
of Nigeria known, over the last few years the apathy in Plateau state and
by extension Nigeria has continued to grow but so many persons that can
facilitate change and help in curbing the carnage kept quiet because I
believe they did not care and they did not care because they were either
benefiting from it or the crisis was not affecting them.Unfortunately some
day, our individual silence will hunt and haunt us down, if we continue to
keep quiet.
I lost my mother, my wonderful and sweet mother just Friday 5th March
2010, and two nights after, it was murder in several villages near Bukuru
in Plateau, and weeks back it was in Kuru Karama and then 17th January
2010 was Jos, before it was November 2008 and there was Yelwa Shamdam in
2004 and before that, was also that of September 2001.
Before I go far...let me state my belief. My testimony is anchored on
value for life irrespective of creed, faith, ethnic cleavages, political
leanings or ideologies. I believe that nobody has the right of life over
the other person. I believe in mutual respect for humanity by all.
Sadly those that have been part of the Jos crises and other such around
the North which is my constituency and other parts of Nigeria do not
believe in it.
I have an opinion that with recent happenings in and around Jos and
Nigeria, we are gravitating towards a general trend and most of us are
pretending that all is well.
Leadership at all levels...from community to the federal government level
has failed in its responsibilities. Its responsibility to protect lives
and property, its responsibility to provide good governance at all levels.
It has failed in nearly all facets of our national lives.
In Plateau, despite all the blame game, the Christian and Muslim stand. A
fact that for me remains irrefutable is that the State Government has
failed in solving the issues because it is part of the problem, not Just
Jang but administrations before it. The military saddled with the
responsibility of providing security has equally failed and both parties
could have done better but unfortunately these institutions have become
embroiled in the saga.
Be it in Kuru Karama or Dogo Nahauwa. We have failed ourselves. When
killings go unattended to it, we breed a circle of revenge, vengeance,
retaliation, reprisal, 'do me I do you' and all these are premeditated on
jungle justice.
In Jos today and by extension the whole country we have again reached that
praecipes of asking what the basis of our mutual co-existence is. Before
our forced marriage by Luggard and his bosses, it did not stop the Oyos
and Egbas being at war or the Jihad that ran through parts of the North
and all the communal war in the east.
When we break Nigeria, are we breaking along religious or ethnic or
geographical lines? We have the Christian Middle belt, the Geographical
one and the political one. Will the South-South be part of Biafra, Who
will dominate in Odua Republic...will the Osun man have say in that
republic where Lagos and Ogun will likely hold sway?
For a person like me, my wife would be a foreigner, my kids’ half-caste,
my in-laws Muslims.
I am privileged to even have an opinion because I am alive. Many have died
in these needless crises from Maitasini, Zagon Kataf, Bauchi, Kano,
Kaduna, Maidugiri, Boko Haram, Kala kato riots...the Miss World riots and
the Danish cartoon saga. In all these both major faiths kill for a 'god'
we claim is loving and peaceful; we fight for a deity that we believe is
powerful.
In a recent blunder by an Abuja based newspaper my name was added to an
advertorial which did not express my opinion, but my phone had no rest,
many expressed their joy...You did the right thing, that was timely,
others threatened me. Some swore at me. Unfortunately I did not author the
said item, and have an entirely different opinion from that which was
expressed.
In 2010, the age of information technology, and the age of computers, just
like my kinsmen want a befitting burial for a woman they cared less about,
in Plateau you have Christian areas and Muslim zones. Journalists are
attacked because of their faith, if you hair like mine has a touch of a
curl or you are fair...the Almighty save you because you may be mistaken
as Fulani.
Really, I may have to ask, is there anything such as Hausa-Fulani, who
started these killings originally. Everyone agrees that these crises are
all political, religious and ethnic. It’s a shame when those who are
supposed to know deny all these and play ostrich, then the end result are
best imagined than experienced.
Beroms are fighting Fulanis, Ibos are causalities, Muslims are killing
Christians and Yoruba Muslims are slaughtered. From my small
investigation, many would agree that a vast majority of Fulanis are
neither Christians nor Muslims and it does not remove the fact that there
are Christian Fulanis and Muslim fulanis. And in all these I ask what the
fate of the pagan is?
I am proud of my faith, but I will NEVER kill for it under whatever guise
or reason. My own God is strong and wise enough to do Justice His own way.
Besides, I have always anchored my faith and belief on two charges, birth
and destiny. I could have been born in Delhi as Chalia Khan and be
Buddhist. I may as well have been an atheist or even from Bosnia.
In these entire madness how do we reconcile the killings of 1-10 year olds
that do not even understand neither Islam nor Christianity or really know
the mechanics of tribe and ethnicity.
Ask anyone today and he/she is sure to have an answer regarding how the
backward North is the problem and truth is that the forward South is
naively not any better. There is poverty in every corner, and it provides
human resources for those that plan these carnages on both sides.
And while the slaughter goes on, our leaders carry on...milking the nation
and after all we really can do nothing. Heartless people that we are, in
NEMA the emergency body, people are supplying relief materials at 20 times
the official prices.
I have been asked can one stand in the middle in all these, no, but
certainly one must take a stand that unequivocally preaches peace.
No one that has a heart that will play politics with the death of anyone.
In so-called civilised nations people have gone to jail over animal rights
but we are a different breed. We even give titles to known murderers. We
have continued to lie to ourselves.
We hate ourselves, rather than respect each other in a negative stance we
tolerate each other like the proverbial soldier ant on the scrotum.
Mutual suspicion reigns supreme, are we really a nation or a collection of
people. What has the North in real terms benefited from Nigeria, what has
Lagos, Umuahia or Warri benefitted? When the thieves that rule us steal
our money there is no religion or ethnicity.
Today our military is divided. I challenge anyone to prove otherwise. PDP
says power must stay in the North, with whose permission. So if Jonathan
does perform some miracles, he does not deserve a shot because it’s not
his turn.
In Jos, I am a settler, a non-indigene and I honestly cannot lay claim to
my home state one that I have not been to in decades and certainly one
that I have not lived in, for a stretch for one week.
What kind of people are we. I am not perfect, may even been naive but I
know when something is not right. For us as a nation these are strange
times, a new Nigeria may emerge or we may be consumed by recent
happenings.
The US said not long ago that 2015 was the terminal date for the project
called Nigeria. Many of us said God forbid, but every of our action is
contradictory and only further pushes us to the brink. May the Almighty
save us from ourselves
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